India, May 10 -- The US and Saudi Arabia on Saturday stepped up efforts to end the escalation between India and Pakistan, with US secretary of state Marco Rubio speaking to Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir to nudge him towards talks to "avoid future conflicts".

Rubio also spoke on Saturday to external affairs minister S Jaishankar, who maintained that India's stance has been "measured and responsible". Rubio also dialled Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar and said the two countries should re-establish direct communication to "avoid miscalculation".

A day after Saudi Arabia's deputy foreign minister visited Pakistan after an unannounced visit to India, Saudi foreign minister Faisal Bin Farhan spoke on telephone to Dar to discuss way...